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Monday, 27 February 2012

I interviewed Hildamay not so long ago on my blog, so here's the review of their EP We Loved, We Lost to go with it.

Hildamay have been knocking around since 2008. They're from Sidcup in Kent and make up part of the brilliant A Wolf At Your Door roster. They are one of a long line of very promising bands, that are coming up from the UK underground at the moment.

Immediately the punky overtones are obvious. Alexisonfire come to mind when listening to the screams of their vocalist. The music is a blend of hardcore and British rock. It's frenetic and kind of reminds me of some of the early Visible Noise bands. The music has that great melodic vibe, with a nod to garage punk of old. The guitars are fuzzy in places but keep that melodic sound. The production seems to keep that old-school rock sound. It's clear and concise, but also gives the music a bit of attitude and bite.

There are some nice introspective passages throughout this EP, such as in second track - Delicate. I like the vocals at the start of third song, By Your Side. It reminds me of when I first discovered bands like At-The Drive In and Sparta. The great melodic, post-hardcore overtones that those bands brought to the table are on show throughout this record. The title track starts with a nice clean guitar intro, underpinned by great drum rhythms, in a song that brings the mood down to a more reflective one, with the pace and instrumentation being less immediate. There are some really good vocal harmonies in the song as well.It's only towards the end of the song that those screams reappear, with an outward blast of emotion.

A Wolf At Your Door seems to have a great knack of picking out top quality acts and giving them the leg up they need. Hildamay are definitely holding down a good UK sound and not taking on to many US influences within their music. It's good to see bands using an original, homegrown sound, and even though I've compared them to a few US bands in this review, I still believe they are one of the most original sounding bands I've heard in a while, who play this style of music. Take penultimate track In Your Eyes for instance, it starts with a great poppy guitar intro, before kicking in some good gruff, punk inspired vocals. Their use of melody is great throughout the record and marks them out as ones too watch, as they could bridge the gap between the mainstream and the underground before you know it.

Saturday, 25 February 2012

US thrashers Bonded By Blood have released a video update for their new album, filmed in their rehearsal space before they go off to record shortly.

This is the first record to feature new vocalist Mauro Gonzalez and bassist Jessie Sanchez. Their third album, will be produced by Logan Mader (formerly of Machine Head and Soulfly), who has produced albums for the likes of Devildriver and Five Finger Death Punch, among others.

Evile have just announced that they will be playing at the Neuborn Open Air Festival in Worrstadt, Germany, which takes place on the 24th and 25th of August. They will be playing alongside well renowned German thrashers Destruction, amongst others.

Awesome Orlando punk band, You Blew It!, are due to embark on a US tour 1st of March, alongside fellow Orlando hardcore band Direct Effect.

As well as these shows, You Blew It! will also be playing at SXSW. The full list of dates are below, including some still to be filled. Give Topshelf records a shout if you can help them to fill the TBA dates.

Thursday, 23 February 2012

The Hardest Season are a five piece hardcore band from Rome, Italy. Dawn is their latest release, which you can get via Enjoyment Records.

After the feedback-ridden intro to first track Confession, things kick in with an angry, heavy form of hardcore. The Hardest Season's brand of hardcore has a decent metallic

edge to it, and the rasping, low screams of vocalist Luca, certainly has plenty of bile.

The album continues along the same track throughout, with fast, angry metallic hardcore, frenetic drumming and driving guitars. THS do weave in some cool changes of pace, which build atmosphere. The songs actually have a cool, punky undertone to them as well. I'm also a sucker for the slower parts, where they take things to dirge induced pace for short periods of the song, especially in the case of second track Dead Romantic, which seems like they are taking their cues from some of the UK's current crop of dark, hardcore bands.

The production of the record is also spot-on. All the instruments and vocals are clear, but the sound that is created is a dirty, organic sound that fits the music perfectly.

This stuff would be great live, and I can't wait to see if they come over to the UK to play! THS fit in some short, sharp songs that show their immediacy, in the case of songs like Sleepless and The Storm. Fifth song Tears Valley Sickness Blues, is a fine example, lasting under a minute and absolutely shredding!

Sixth song, The Foreword starts with some really nice clean picked guitar alongside some spoken work samples, before launching into a more melodic strand of instrumental hardcore. I've said this many time before, but I like the use of gang vocals, especially in the penultimate song Twentyeight To Ten and I can see plenty of people shouting along to them at live shows.

Final song Last Fucking Scarred Lines, begins with vocalist Luca, screaming into the mic for the first four bars, with no backing music. This is a stark reminder of just how angry this record sounds.

The ten songs displayed on Dawn, are my first introduction to The Hardest Season, and I'm glad that they are, as they're an impressive take on the current metallic hardcore formula. Angry and desolate yet uplifting and meaningful. The instrumentation is simple and very effective and for someone like me, who listens to a lot of heavy, forward thinking hardcore, it's a pleasure to listen to a band that aren't just copying the masses.

This is dark, negative hardcore but it sounds perfect in front of today’s current backdrop of economical difficulties and global strife. The emotion that is displayed in those deep screams, every beat of the drums and strum of the guitars show a band doing this for the right reasons. Not pandering to the masses and playing music with conviction and heart.

Make sure you check out The Hardest Season on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TheHardestSeason, where you can listen to two tracks from Dawn, Dead Romantic and Nightmare Of You, which also feature Daniele from Hope Dies Last.

With the music industry like it is at the moment, it's always heartwarming to come across independent, DIY records labels who are bringing new music to fans, and presenting it in really good ways, with good quality packaging, etc. Hang Tight Records are one such label.I recently bought some records from them, as I wanted some pop-punk to listen to, alongside the hardcore/grind I've been listening to recently. So, I thought I'd do a feature on the label, as I know how hard it is for someone to get positive press in this day and age, especially when they're trying to grow for themselves and their bands.I spoke to Joe, the label founder recently by e-mail and asked him about how he formed Hang Tight and about some of his achievements to date.

So, how did you first start Hang Tight Records and what was your inspiration?

Me and a friend of mine had always been interested in starting our own business. We tossed around a few ideas and went with record label. The inspiration for me I guess came from the passion I have for pop punk, I grew up listening to drive-thru bands. We got some pretty rad contacts pretty quickly and started work on our first release in August 2010. Unfortunately due to Uni commitments my friend left to concentrate on that, which just left me (Joe) running the label.

What has been your proudest moment so far?

This January I bought over On Call Heroes from Canada. I tagged along to a few shows and just seeing kids singing along to these guys was absolutely amazing! The guys were so far away from home, yet everyone some so accommodating to the guys, it was touching.

What was the first record you released and can you tell about how it went?

The first record released on Hang Tight was the Me vs. Hero 12" re-release of Days That Shape Our Lives. Just being associated with Me Vs Hero is a honour. As a band they represent everything that Hang Tight represents. They are honest hard working guys who just want to make pop punk! I think the best thing about that record was how much I learnt in the 3 months it took to press. With everything I know now I would love to do another record like the MVH 12".

Do you think social media has helped to grow the profile of Hang Tight?

Hang Tight was always based on social media. I have a very loyal fan base, of which I am so grateful for; these guys have spread the Hang Tight word everywhere. This label would be nothing without them.

What are your plans for the future of Hang Tight?

I am moving into PR with Hang Tight. I should be making a public announcement real soon, and launching a new section of the web site.

I think for the next 6 months or so I will be focusing on Distro and selling through the very last of the stock I have left. Then we will see if I will release some more vinyl.

What do you think of the current punk/hardcore scene in the UK?

I'm just glad there's guys out there like you who gives a shit still about independent artists / labels. I make my own luck. I work as hard as I can and I hope that one-day pays off.

What music have you been listening to recently?

Recently I have been listening to the On My Honor record. I'm stoked for their tour in March with The Rookie League. I've been listening to A Face For radio, they are a rad pop punk band from the states.

Are you in touch with your local scene, and if so, which bands should we check out?

Not so much my local scene. I live in a very small town with not too much going on. I'm trying my hardest to kick start it. I have some really cool bands coming through here, I have Promise me Tomorrow and Together We Fight coming here in March so I guess you could check those guys out. Both bands are really cool.

Hang Tight have some really cool pop-punk bands on their roster at the moment, and I'm doing this feature, I thought it would be rude not to give them a mention.

There's also a bit of an international flavour to their roster, thanks to Canadian band On Call Heroes, who hail from British Columbia. Hang Tight are due to re-release their record Brotherhood, shortly. You can hear more by On Call Heroes at http://www.facebook.com/oncallheroes.

Then there's Sheffield's own The Rookie League. Their current EP The Wolf Pack, is available on cassette at the moment. The Rookie League have been creating quite a name for themselves, sharing stages with the like of We Are The Ocean and Polar Bear Club along the way. Give them a shout at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rookie-League.

Also on Hang Tight's roster at the moment, is Knoxville, Tennessee punk band On My Honor. Their latest record - Nature and Nurture, is up for pre-order in the form of limited gold or transparent green vinyl. You can check out On My Honor via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/onmyhonor.

All It's Worth are one of the newest additions to the Hang Tight roster. Hailing from Ireland. They are currently in the studio, recording songs, so expect to see things from them soon. In the meantime though, you can see studio updates via their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Allitsworth. You can also listen to two of their on that page too.Now as well as the label itself, Hang Tight also has a distro, where you can pick up other carefully selected releases as well as those of the label by going to http://hangtightrecords.limitedpressing.com/store.As well that, Joe is turning to PR as well. He has set up Hang Tight PR to help support up and coming bands, so if you're in a band and would like top quality PR, head over to http://www.hangtight.co.uk/hang-tight-media/.Also a bit of news about future releases from Hang Tight. If you pre-ordered The Rookie League tape, you should have by now received a free cover song from the band.On My Honor have announced they will be touring the UK and Europe in March, is support of their new record - Nature and Nurture, which is due to be out on the 23rd of March, and is currently up for pre-order.They have also just released their new video for the song - Definition, which is being shown exclusively at this link http://www.altpress.com/aptv/video/premiere_on_my_honor_definition.Also, if you pre-ordered the On Call Heroes CD, you should have received your download code. All orders will come with free stickers too!Finally, the Hang Tight £1 sale is finishing at 12am tonight. This is your last chance to grab a bargain. Head over to http://hangtightrecords.limitedpressing.com/store to grab any records that take your fancy. Also make sure you visit them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HangTightRecords for more news and music.

Wednesday, 22 February 2012

I went to a local hardcore punk gig recently in my home town, Harrogate, and it got me thinking about how metal/hardcore can manifest itself in the most unlikely of locations, so I thought I'd do some research and do a feature on the metal scene in Harrogate.

I'll set the scene for you. Harrogate is a gentile, historic spa-town that borders the North Yorkshire National Park. The population of Harrogate itself, is estimated to be around 75,000, so it's not small, and should be able to keep a metal scene alive.

So, a bit of scene history for you first of all.

Scanning though Metal-Archives, the earliest band I can find from Harrogate were a NWBOHM band called Syar. They were a five piece band, and released an album in 1984 called Death Before Dishonour, through Mausoleum Records, in Belgium. 3 of Syar's members were also in another band called Maineeaxe, who were a lot more active, releasing two full lengths, an EP and three singles. They were last signed to a label called Powerstation, which no longer exists.

The next band I cam across, were Thrash Metal band Acid Reign. They formed in 1985 after meeting at Granby high school, as it was then, and were very active. In the six years they were together, they released a demo, an EP, two singles, two full lengths, a compilation and they even appeared alongside the mighty Testament, on a split record by Kerrang! At the time they were signed to sub-label of Music for Nations, called Under One Flag and were labelmates to well known British bands, including Venom and Onslaught!

The members of Acid Reign were also very active in other band to at the time. First guitarist Kev also joined Lawnmower Deth after he was in Acid Reign, who are still alive and well today. Second guitarist, Adam Lehan was in Lord Crucifier and went on to join Cathedral. Bassist Mac was in a thrash band called Holosade, who are still active today, and include a member of Sabbat in their ranks. Finally, Drummer and Keyboardist Mark Ramsey became a member of fellow Harrogate heavy metal band Asomvel, after Acid Reign split, and also spent time in pre-Venom band Chronos for two years, between 1993 and 1995and also spent time in Cathedral after Acid Reign.

There was a thrash metal band called Naked Goblin, who released a cassette called Unterwelt in 1988, but little is known about them. If anyone reading this does know anything, please let me know.

ASOMVEL, formed in 1993 and are still active today. They are a three piece and have released two demos, two EP's and a full length as well. ASOMVEL's original vocalist Jay-Jay Winter, sadly passed away in 2010. They currently feature ex-Tangaroa member Conan on vocals.

Lenny Robinson, ASOMVEL's guitarist, is also in Bradford based doom metal band Solstice. Asomvel are still gigging, in fact they have a gig in Burnley on the 24th of February. You find out about the gigs ASOMVEL have coming up by going to their website at http://www.asomvel.com and by going to Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ASOMVEL

I was lucky enough to speak to ASOMVEL's guitarist Lenny Robinson via e-mail, where he gave me an insight into what influence ASOMVEL to form and what it was playing gigs in their early days:-

What influenced you to form ASOMVEL?

Back when we started, Mark Wharton & Jay-Jay were huge Venom fans & I was a big Motorhead fan. They were great bands & seeing them made us want to be in a band & say it like it is, be loud, obnoxious & get up people's noses. Motorhead, Venom, Elvis & all those early rockers and everything we hear has a bearing on what we write.

Did ASOMVEL play many shows in Harrogate and what kind of reaction did you get?

We've done a lot of gigs in Harrogate over the years. When heavy metal bands were scared to call themselves heavy metal, in case they were considered dinosaurs, we were playing to spiky-haired, baggy trousered kids who didn't get what we were about. Nobody wanted to know ASOMVEL, we were a joke to most bands on the gig circuit & just about everyone else for that matter. We never changed our style to suit the fads, 'cos we believe in what we do. As a result, we got better & when the fads changed, people started liking ASOMVEL all of a sudden & started showing up to gigs & buying our album.

The bands above, are bands that helped to shape metal in Harrogate, and while many people suggest that there isn't a scene here, there were bands and people who cared and still care, so to me that's all that matters.

There are also a few newer metal bands floating around Harrogate at the moment, that have been around for a while now.

Waking Theo have been knocking around since 2004. Playing a blend of more modern metal, they have begun to make a name for themselves, playing alongside established bands like death metallers Trigger The Bloodshed and others.

The next band I felt it worth mentioning in the first part of my feature is Drowned In Flames. Drowned In Flames have been making a name for themselves by playing shows with the likes of Cancer Bats and Young Guns, as well as getting press in UK music publications like Rock Sound Magazine and Kerrang!.

At this point in time, Drowned In Flames have released three EP's. As well as this, their drummer Dave Colston has been playing drums in newly formed Harrogate punk band, Little Drafts, who I'm going to mention in the second part of this feature.

Keep your eyes peeled for the second part of my feature, which will focus on the hardcore/punk scene that has been around in Harrogate for a while along with some of the more extreme bands, and people who champion them!.

Monday, 20 February 2012

Unfold are a 12 legged metal band from Switzerland, and Cosmogon is their latest record, which has been released by Swiss record label Division Records.

Opener Erebe starts with slow riffing and rabid, almost black-metal screams. The music is very reminiscent of fellow Swiss noise mongers Knut, who incidentally have shared Unfold's label in the past. This is very dissonant in places, relying on clean and tuneful guitar to bring the sense of melody that makes Unfolds music multi dimensional. The keyboards instruments are used to add another dimension to the music, add the melodic vocals, while quiet do remind me of Deftones slightly, a strange comparison I know. It's a very positive introduction to a band, that until now, I've not heard.

Opening track Erebe fades straight into their second track Hemere, which is immediately a heavier proposition. The rhythm section is more apparent and the use of the same guitar riff, gives you a sense of Unfold wanting to create a more austere, claustrophobic atmosphere with their instrumentation.

Third track Hystrion, appears out of the feedback, with some clever, almost tribal drumming, before lurching back to the more melodic sound of the opener. Fellow experimentalists The Ocean do start to spring to mind when listening to the music unfolding around your ears. It has a very European flavour to it, and Unfold don't try to Americanise their sound, which is definitely a plus point for me. It's unfair to categorise this record, as it's equal part hardcore, metal and slower progressive touches make it an entity in it's own right. The way the songs all flow into each other without a noticeable break in music, is a really nice touch.

Fourth track Hexahedron, allows the screaming vocals of Danek to come to the fore a bit more. The use of vocals, while more sporadic than your usual metal release, do make more of an impact here, in between the quiet/loud moments. I like the way Unfold use the guitar feedback as an extension to their music, as sometimes it can seem jarring and out of place on some records.

So onto fifth song, Ethera, which is the longest song on Cosmogon at just over thirteen minutes. It's builds with a long instrumental intro, using different instruments and effects to build atmosphere. It crescendo's multiple times, making you think that Unfold are about to launch full force into their crunching, progressive metal, only to fade away again. The use of clean guitar and keys again add variation to the song. The notation in the song does add to the feeling of evil and fear, yet it's a strangely uplifting listening to someone screaming at the top of their lungs. The song at times sound quite futuristic in the way certain instrumental effects are used, and halfway through, it moves towards a type industrial metal hybrid that would be welcome in a dark, basement club.

Sometimes, it's hard to get your head round the use of some of the slightly off-beat time signatures used in Ethera, but that does add to the listening experience, as this isn't music to feel comfortable to. The pace slows down and the music becomes more oppressive and negative. The end of Ethera brings some solace and time for reflection, after what has been an incredible journey of a song.

Eschaton is the final song that Unfold have to offer on Cosmogon and it's your last chance to get lost in their own brand of progressive, intelligent metal. Again, they major on instrumental skill, and the addition of the sole drumsticks keeping time is another nice touch. Again, this is a very vibrant track when all parts are kicking it together. It's a polar opposite of Ethera before it, in it's immediacy and pace. It's brings together everything that has come before it, with the beautiful instrumentation only punctuated by those emotive, screaming vocals.

This record is not a immediate fix, like most people seem to want these days and as a result, is a tremendously rewarding listen for those willing to dedicate the time and energy. This is why I do what I do, it's the comfort of knowing that for every ten unoriginal poser/hipster bands, there are incredible, original bands like Unfold, who are making music for themselves, not constrained by genre convention.My advice, don't sleep on Cosmogon or Unfold, or else you'll miss out!

Sunday, 19 February 2012

Detroit, Michigan punk band Fireworks are due to embark on an Australian tour from the 25th of February to the 5th of March, including 5 dates on the Soundwave tour and two with I Am The Avalanche. The dates and venues are below:-

2/25 RNA Showground Brisbane, Australia - Soundwave

2/26 Sydney Olympic Park Sydney, Australia - Soundwave

2/28 Hi-Fi Bar Melbourne, Australia - w/ I Am The Avalanche

3/1 Manning Bar Sydney, Australia - w/ I Am The Avalanche

3/2 Royal Melbourne Showgrounds Ascot Vale Vic, Australia - Soundwave

3/3 Bonython Park Adelaide, Australia - Soundwave

3/5 Claremont Showground Perth, Australia - Soundwave

They are then going to embark on a US tour, alongside Set Your Goals and including performances at South By South West and South By So What festivals. The dates and venues are below:-

Please check this press release out, detailing the current line up and details for the up-coming Shirts For A Cure SXSW showcase to be held on March 16th in Austin, Texas.

"Hot Water Music, Braid, DYS, Darkest Hour, Comeback Kid, Coliseum, Tim Barry and many more are set to play a FREE SXSW showcase on March 16

WASHINGTON D.C. - Shirts for a Cure, in association with Slip Booking and Traxion Control along with Munitio Earphones, Out of Time Clothing and MerchNOW, are very excited to announce a special free daytime SXSW showcase. Come help us celebrate our 10th Anniversary while enjoying the musical stylings of Hot Water Music, Braid, DYS, Darkest Hour, Comeback Kid, Coliseum, Anti-Flag, Tim Barry and so many more. This two stage free showcase will be held on Friday, March 16th at Red 7 ( 611 East 7th Street , Austin , TX ) with doors opening at high noon. Come early and plan to stay late.

Check out the new press release about the 14th annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music festival, which is due to take place in Las Vegas from the 25th to the 28th of May.

"14th Annual Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival

Announces First 5 Bands: Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, the Adicts and the Briefs

3 Days of Festivals + 4 Nights of Club Shows

+ 2 Days of Bowling + Texas Hold ‘Em + Pool Parties

= Biggest Punk Rock Party of the Year!

This Year’s Event to Take Place Memorial Day Weekend

May 25-28th in Downtown Las Vegas

More Bands To Be Announced Soon!

A sneak peak at some of the confirmed bands to perform in downtown Las Vegas over Memorial Day Weekend (May 25-28):

Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise, the Adicts, the Briefs

More bands to be announced soon!!

NEW THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR PUNK ROCK BOWLING 2012!!Punk Rock Bowling was started back in 1999 as a way to bring the independent music community together for an annual party. It has since grown into a 3 day festival in downtown Las Vegas that brings out fans and bands alike from all over the world. Make no mistake, this is a PUNK ROCK festival that features some of the best bands over the past 35+ years, from the old school pioneers and classics to mainstays and up and comers. Founders Shawn and Mark Stern of BYO Records and seminal SoCal band Youth Brigade have been heavily involved in the PUNK ROCK community since the late ‘70’s and spend countless hours scouring their record collections, memories and abilities to reach out to old friends and new to put together an amazing line-up every year.

This is a 3 day outdoor festival starting in the late afternoon and featuring 8 great bands each day on Saturday, Sunday and Monday celebrated with 5,000 of your close personal punk rock friends. And if that’s not enough, their will be 4 late night club shows each night in smaller more intimate surroundings featuring more great bands as well as some special surprises. All in all, over 60 bands will perform throughout the weekend.

HOTELS:Most of our hotels will be located downtown this year. Punk Rock Bowling has struck a deal with some of the best hotels in the downtown area. Our main hotel will be the Golden Nugget, while the pool party hotel will be the Gold Spike. Our budget hotel is the Las Vegas Club. PRB rates are now available CLICK HERE to find out more! Book your room early, these deals will not last.

BOWLING:The tournament is expanding! In an effort to accommodate more bowlers and to eliminate night bowling, for the first time PRB will be bowling in two different locations. Buses will be provided to shuttle bowlers to each bowling alley from downtown. If you want to bowl, you have a great chance this year since we are expanding. Just sign up on the waiting list by going to punkrockbowling.com

US pop-punkers I Call Fives, are due to release their new 7" Someone That's Not You, on the 20th of March through Pure Noise Records. The EP will be a teaser for their upcoming full length album, and will include two new songs, one acoustic song and a cover of the Third Eye Blind song - How's It Going to Be. Their full length will be out in June.

The full track list is below:-

1. Someone That's Not You

2. Backup Plan

3. Lakeview

4. How's It Going To Be

As well as releasing this new record, I Call Fives are due to headline 5 dates on the Pure Noise Records tour and are due to play a show in support of fellow US pop-punkers All Time Low. The Tour date and venues are below:-

York based metalcore band Melody Of Your Demise, are a band that I featured on this blog a fair while back. Since I featured them, a lot has changed, including their name, which is now A Traitor's Legacy.

This EP, We Call The Shots, was the last music they recorded as Melody Of Your Demise and again, I've had this waiting for a while, so have finally got around to posting about it.

We Call The Shots is three track of modern metalcore, with a rocky influence, and a penchant for amusing song titles, just check out Does This Drink Taste Like Rohypnol to You?, and the cleverly titled It Was Fear of Flying That Gave Me Wings.

They mix heavy riffs and vocals with modern, melodic clean singing. Their sound will definitely appeal to the newer breed of metal fan and will translate really well in a live arena. These guys are finding their feet, especially since their name change, and this EP sees them injecting more humour into their songs, but with a sense of aggression that shows they've got an axe to grind.

The instrumentation works really well on the EP, with the guitars sounding melodic and the band not focusing on breakdowns to get their point across.

In their new form as A Traitor's Legacy, they've got a teaser up on Facebook, which is purely instrumental at the moment, but hints at a new interesting dimension for the band. Keep your eyes peeled on their page at http://www.facebook.com/ATraitorsLegacy for news on what they've got coming up.

I've been reviewing a lot of grindcore recently, mainly because I've been unearthing and exploring a lot of new bands that I wasn't aware of and have been digging deeper into the DIY and underground scenes that make up the lower echelons of the metal pyramid.

I got asked to review this cassette by Mexican grind band Scumdogs a while ago, and have only just got around to posting it up. Like their cassette, Doggie Style Grindcore, I tried to keep it short and sweet.

Doggie Style Grindcore is made up of eighteen songs and spans a little over 15 minutes. The intro is a mid-paced, grooving precursor to the grinding chaos that awaits. Very few songs on this cassette are over a minute long, and the majority of tracks are sung in Mexican, so it sounds even more brutal.

The production is raw, but you can still hear all the instruments, especially with cymbals being pretty prominent and the vocals coming up over the top of it all. I've been listening to a lot of grind recently, especially different types, to try and get some variation and perspective on it. I'm pleased to say that there is variation amongst the frenetic pace of this cassette, like the pace changes in fifth song Violento Ataque Cristofobico. Scumdogs show that they are not just all about the rabid speed and are able to throw different influences into their music. It's thanks to these slower sections that make this particular song one of the longest on the record, even if it's only a minute and a half.

There is variation in the vocals too, with dual high/low growls amongst the grooving chug, like in seventh song Mutiladores. Towards the middle of Doggy Style Grindcore, the pace does increase and the band rip through three songs in a little over a minute and a half. This is quite nuts. The relentless pace and buzzsaw guitar can become dizzying, but then Grindcore was never meant to be easy on the ear!

This is exactly what I pictured grind to be when I first became aware of such bands, records jam packed with as many, speeding songs as the band could fit on a record. Those people who are convinced that grind has no artistic merit, should take a step back and listen to bands like Scumdogs, as they have set their stall out and follow have a punkier vibe, which will appeal to people who are curios about the music. Heck, they even managed to throw an Unholy Grave cover in as their last song.

This is riotous fun for those who are diehard grind fans and will definitely help Scumdogs to find their place amongst the swelling ranks of bands in the genre. Plus, with some of the funniest artwork I've seen for a while, this is an all round good release.